New Storyteller in Residence project for Lowestoft

By James Powell | June 25, 2025

Charlotte McGuinness is Suffolk Community Libraries’ new Storyteller in Residence. Her project is capturing stories from Lowestoft.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the current library building opening in 1975, Lowestoft Library selected Charlotte to capture human stories through her camera lens in 2025.

Lowestoft 50: Illuminating Portraits celebrates the richness, resilience and diversity of people in the town, and draws attention to soulful spaces in Lowestoft and surrounding areas.

The Storyteller in Residence is an annual project run by Suffolk Community Libraries’ Community Arts Programme. The residencies involve inviting a local artist or creative to develop work with libraries, highlighting the power of storytelling and promoting a sense of place and intercultural understanding.

Charlotte McGuinness is a photographer, storyteller, and creative, born and raised by the sea in Lowestoft. Charlotte has spent a decade working as an actor and has travelled the world as an international model. Now working behind the camera, Charlotte captures the people and places that make East Anglia unique.

Charlotte said:

“I’m from Lowestoft and I often feel inspired and moved by the people I talk to here. Theres something about this area, being the most easterly point of the UK, that draws people to it. In some ways you get more extremes here, because we’re on the edge of things, but in other ways there’s a feeling of close community, of being the first to greet the sun, of helping and supporting each other which I love. I want to amplify people’s stories, inspire others and stoke curiosity about this seaside town on the edge of the North Sea.”

As well as having their photos taken, contributors also have the option to lend their voice to the project by recording audio bites that will be woven into in a longform soundscape to accompany the collection.

The collection launched at this year’s First Light Festival in Lowestoft.  

Lowestoft Library recently marked the 50th anniversary with special activities on Saturday 10 May including the unveiling of its new community garden.